Love and Hate: It's a Fine Line
by silverwritinggoddess
Summary: This is a more modern version of "Pride and Prejudice." A young woman of good breeding and high social class meets a cold, proud, high-powered CEO and they rub each other the wrong way upon meeting. However, things will heat up when they get to know each other a little bit better. Rating may go up in later chapters for sexual content!
1. Chapter 1

New York, 2013

Jenna Williams simply sighed as she mingled with the crowd. Her mother, bless her brain, was throwing a formal dinner party at their large mansion in order to pair off her five daughters to wealthy men. Jenna had plenty of admirers, but none of them were what she looked for in men. They were very friendly, that was true, and had fun dancing but she could not see herself with any of those that had approached her. There was something that they lacked and she wasn't sure what that was, to tell the truth. Wit, perhaps?

"Such a lovely party, mother." Jenna said pleasantly.

"Oh, yes it is!" Mrs. Williams exclaimed cheerfully. "Your sisters are enjoying themselves with their young men. I have no doubt that they'll become engaged."

Jenna suppressed the urge to close her eyes and merely smiled a tight smile. Her mother said that almost every time that her four other sisters mingled with men that they really liked. Often, none of those interactions came to anything and were quite disappointing to her mother. However, everything always changed when her sisters met men and their mother was happy again. The woman was quite flighty, as were her younger sisters, save for her older sister, but she loved them just the same.

"Jenna, look." Her mother whispered in a conspiring voice. "That young man you see over there..."

The two women observed a young man of twenty-seven. He was tall, but he wasn't lanky. Jenna blushed when she caught herself admiring his subtle musculature beneath his white dress-shirt. She distracted herself with her wine, but it did little to relieve her embarrassment. It actually made the heat in her face much hotter. However, his cold, proud manner turned her off when she saw him brush off several young women with a cold look and a cold shoulder. She just could not believe his attitude.

"How rude." Jenna said.

"Yes, indeed." Her mother agreed. "I wouldn't take him even if he is a millionaire."

The young woman just sighed before turning her attention elsewhere and leaving her mother in the company.

_Money is always important to her._

Jenna was standing near one of the windows when she overheard the friend of the rude young man trying to convince him to ask a young woman to dance. She didn't mean to eavesdrop but when it involved her, she couldn't help herself but to listen. She hated it when people talked about her behind her back...a trait, unfortunately, that she had inherited from her mother.

"Come now, Lee. Quit being stubborn."

"No." The man named Lee replied coldly. "I'm not in the habit of dancing with strange young women."

"Come on." Lee's friend wheedled. "I mean, you have to admit that half of these women are very good-looking."

"You're dancing with the only beautiful young woman in the room." Lee pointed out.

"Sarah Williams is the most beautiful woman that I've ever beheld."

Jenna smiled. At least the man was quite honest and, maybe, quite in love with her sister even though they had just met tonight. She wouldn't mind if this young man became her brother-in-law. She was sure that her mother wouldn't mind that either. Jenna turned her attention away for a moment to see if her sisters were about and sighed when she saw them flirting with older men. How typical.

"Look," Lee's friend said. "There's one of her sisters. She's just as pretty as Sarah."

"She's alright, I suppose." Lee replied. "However, I don't think she's pretty enough to tempt me. Go back and dance. I'm not in a good mood."

Lee's friend looked at him like he had grown an extra head and felt guilty, afraid that she had heard his friend's insult. The young woman kept a smirk down as she walked passed them both, indicating that she did, indeed, hear Lee Bryant's insult, leaving at least one of them stunned and mortified.

A/N: Kind of short, I know, but getting started is the tough part and I have to go to bed because I have to get up at 3:30 AM to get ready for work! Feedback is appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Jenna went to join one of her good friends, Charlotte Hurd, near the punch table later that night. She, too, had overheard the man's cold and insulting reply and tended to her friend. It didn't take long for the both of them to start snickering and whispering in conspiring voices. Lee paid them no mind, but his friend was all bent out of shape and was all for apologizing to the young woman for being slighted before disappearing to tend to other guests he had brought along. His guests were two women that held an air of elegance and arrogance. Jenna and Charlotte noticed how they snubbed everyone that weren't of the same social status they were, although they did pay particular attention to Jenna's mild-mannered sister and were very pleasant towards her.

"I don't like them one bit." Jenna said.

"I don't either." Charlotte agreed. "Quite snobbish. They're probably related to Lee Bryant."

"Is that the man's name?"

"Indeed."

The name actually rung a bell believe it or not. Lee Bryant was considered one of the world's most powerful and wealthiest CEOs. She couldn't remember what company he ran but she had heard that he was extremely brutal when it came to business dealings. It was rumored that he had threatened the life of another businessman, but that was unsubstantiated. Still, the very thought made her shiver and made her more determined to stay away from a seemingly hateful man. She didn't want to get tangled up with him, but she would not back down if she did. She would give him a good verbal lashing if she was given the chance. Charlotte sensed her friend's thoughts and said:

"Knowing you, you would probably give him a tongue-lashing right about now."

"Charlotte, we're in public." Jenna snickered. "It wouldn't be very lady-like of me."

The two women giggled.

* * *

"Did you ladies have a wonderful time?" Jenna's father asked.

He had been absent from the party due to an unforeseen circumstance in his business that took him out of state and was only now returning from his business trip. His wife went on about how well it went and how all of their girls danced with the men that were present. She went on about the wonderful fashion she had seen there, but she did complain about how a certain young man slighted his favorite daughter. This did get a reaction from the patriarch, which made Jenna smile.

"He slighted my Jenna, did he?" Mr. Williams asked.

"I didn't really care for him, dad, so it really doesn't matter."

"I wouldn't pay him any attention even if he DID ask you to dance. Very proud and disagreeable. I wouldn't want to touch his money."

Jenna and her father just rolled their eyes as she went on about her business with the younger girls, who were very chatty. They were always chatty when it came to such lavish events. They still loved her anyway, even if they didn't admit it out loud to her...and wouldn't admit it anytime soon...at least, out loud. Her youngest sisters were rather outgoing and rambunctious, often humiliating the family at public outings. Her gentle, sweet older sister, Sarah was far different from their youngest siblings and very beautiful. It was clear that she had won the heart of Lee Bryant's young friend over at the dinner party. Jenna remembered how infatuated he was when he danced with her and hung on every word that was spoken by sweet Sarah. The second of the four girls predicted that she would be hearing wedding bells sometime within the next year or so.

"...And he's invited us to his next party!" Jessie, the youngest of the four, gushed.

Their father simply snorted and paid no mind to his youngest daughter. She was bent out of shape at first but turned to her mother, who joined in the conversation with just as much animation. Jenna sighed and rolled her eyes, matching her father's silent expression. The next party, from what she understood, was within the next couple of weeks. She hoped that she didn't meet with Lee Bryant again, although that was unlikely considering his friendship with Sarah's admirer. She looked out into the back yard of their expansive home. She decided that she would take a turn in it and ponder the events that took place at that party. Sarah joined in with her younger sister and the two discussed what had happened that night. Jenna mocked Lee's deep voice and repeated what he had said about her.

"That was wrong of him." Sarah said, still giggling at her sister's mockery.

"Indeed it was. Very offensive." Jenna replied offhandedly, smirking.

The two young women continued their walk about in their garden when they came upon Charlotte, who was arriving at their home. Jenna rushed up to her friend and greeted her. She was met with an invitation to her friend's home for a small dinner party. The invitation was graciously accepted and the family was to appear the following evening.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm borrowing elements from the "Pride and Prejudice" book and the A&E movie with Colin Firth and giving it a modern twist. If you haven't seen that version of the movie, I highly recommend it! It follows the book very well.

No copyright infringement intended.


	3. Chapter 3

Jenna loved being with her friend, Charlotte. She was sensible and much more level-headed than any of her sisters, save Sarah. Plus, she was the only entertainment to be had at the party since her beautiful older sister was engaged in conversation by her admirer, Ryan Harrison. It was clear that she enjoyed the attention and no one could really blame her since Ryan was an absolutely handsome young man. Her mother made absolutely sure as to whom the man her eldest daughter was speaking to and how wealthy he was. As for the other girls, they were just too busy dancing with all of the available young men that flirted with them (and vice versa). The two young women observed Charlotte's father being a very good host to everyone, but he paid particular attention to Lee Bryant and his companions. Jenna observed the two women with disdain. They came off as rather snobbish and rather arrogant but the man paid no mind to that. Jenna could only conclude that the reason that they paid attention to her sister was because of their brother's (as it so happened) admiration of Sarah. They were not the kind of people that she wanted to associate with.

"Do you think that your sister will be married soon?" Charlotte asked.

"No doubt." Jenna replied confidently. "With the way he looks at her, he's going to propose to her within the year, if not the next."

"Yes, but what of your sister? She doesn't really show that she loves him. If she doesn't show her affection, then what chance will she have of completely engaging him?"

"It'll grow with time."

The two young women continued their conversation on marriage. Jenna was so engaged with her friend that she didn't realize that she, herself, was becoming an object of interest. Lee Bryant had insulted the young woman by saying that she wasn't beautiful enough to entice him, but his mindset was beginning to change. He observed her with a critical, gray, eye and decided that she had a lovely, symmetric frame. His black hair hid his observing eyes and his desire to know more about the young Jenna Williams, he decided that he would casually listen into a conversation about said woman in question. Thankfully, he didn't draw attention to himself. Damn, he hated having a lot of attention on him but as a CEO of a successful company, he had to get used to it. He WAS used to it but he still hated it and, especially, when it came to one of Ryan's sisters.

_Ugh._ He thought.

Lee heard a lot of glowing praises about her and would have liked to hear more of Jenna when he was accosted by the host of the dinner party. He mentally sighed as the man chattered into his ear about everything and anything he could talk about. Lee just nodded politely and entered a vague comment every now and then. However, his attention was diverted to Jenna, who was walking in their direction. She was about to walk past them as she went on a mission to track down one of her sisters when Mr. Hurd intercepted her. He tried to get her to dance with Lee, in which he did extend an invitation, but failed to do so. Lee couldn't blame her since he did insult her the last time they had crossed paths so he kept quiet.

_So much for that...oh, dear god._

Ryan's sister, Linda, approached him. This woman was a pain in the butt to deal with and he had to put up with her simply because of the fact that she was related to his best friend. She was tall, thin and flat-chested. There was nothing, physically, to recommend her to men...although her money was another story. Lee had to hold back a grimace as she proceeded to assume to that she knew what she was thinking. He grunted before saying:

"I don't imagine so."

"You're thinking about how tedious this party is and how you have to deal with such lowly creatures."

Lee rolled his eyes. It gave him much pleasure, though, when he confessed to being focused on a beautiful Jenna Williams and her lovely violet eyes. They were rather unique. He blatantly ignored Linda as she rambled on about how she saw nothing really special, but he did take exception to her comment about how there was no particular beauty in Jenna. When she saw him react to her off-handed comment, she backed off immediately and excused herself to join her sister, though she knew she had considerable competition on her hands. If someone like Lee Bryant saw something in a woman like Jenna Williams (despite the fact that he had insulted her in the very beginning), then things were going to be absolutely serious. For now, though, Linda was going to be quiet and observe things for the time being. She didn't want to earn Lee's disfavor by acting like a jealous woman...which was a little too late for that.


	4. Chapter 4

Jenna was pissed off at her mother for sending her older sister out on an errand in the rain (without giving her an umbrella) and, as a result, her sister had a raging cold. Sarah stopped over at one of their friend's condos would be spending the duration of her illness there. Her father was upset with her mother, but her mother didn't give a damn if it meant making a match for one of her daughters. It turned out that she was being treated by Ryan Harrison's personal doctor, with Ryan in attendance. This was all Mrs. Williams cared about, which made Jenna a little bit irritated. The friend that Sarah was staying with was a distant cousin to Ryan and Ryan had been over there visiting when he discovered a very ill Sarah. Mrs. Williams, needless to say, was very pleased with this development and made sure that her daughter stayed there while Ryan was there.

Jenna huffed and kept back a biting insult towards her mother. She decided that she was going to see her sister and walk over there. Her mother objected to this but Mr. Williams told her to shut up and keep quiet and told his daughter to go see her sister. She would probably be glad of it, he said, and would need some care from a family member rather than some strange doctor that was hired by a wealthy man that they barely knew. The younger girls volunteered to walk with their sister while they planned to visit a male companion that they knew of, who was a young military officer in the Army. When they arrived to their said destination, the three women parted ways and Jenna continued her walk towards the condominium that belonged to the friend.

The young woman arrived about an hour later and entered the lobby, where she encountered none other than Lee Bryant himself. He was surprised to find that she had walked about two and half miles from her part of New York to his area. Jenna gave him a cold glance and a cold greeting before brushing past him. He simply rolled his eyes and followed after her, stating that there were some rather unsavory characters that lived in the area, which was true, and that he would escort her. Jenna said nothing, but nodded as etiquette dictated.

_Sometimes being a gentleman sucks._

This allowed Lee to silently get to know the young woman in question. She was rather elegant in her own way. Her silver hair fell down her back in beautiful waves. She had the qualities of a lady but her eyes were filled with mischief and playfulness that he had never seen before. He was intrigued by her but if it wasn't for the fact that he was the biggest jerk on the planet, they would probably be having a more civil conversation rather than giving each other the cold shoulder. He wasn't sure why he insulted her at first, because she was rather attractive and pleasing to his eyes. In fact, it was clear that she attracted a lot of men but, like a lady, she didn't flirt or lead them on (unlike her younger sisters). That was another thing that he found rather attractive. She was spunky, too. Maybe being a jerk wasn't all that bad. He liked seeing that fire burn in her violet eyes after all.

"Ms. Williams..." He began.

At the time, the elevator doors opened and Jenna went straight towards her intended destination. She was greeted by Ryan Harrison and immediately led to her sister that lay ill in one of their bedrooms. Lee just rolled his eyes again and followed her into the condo, ignoring his friend's curious glance. He was sporting a smirk on his face but he wasn't about to tell his friend why.

A/N: Kind of short, I know, but I needed to get this written and posted. Thanks for reading! Feedback appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Jenna was led to her sister immediately. She felt her heart break when she saw how pale her sister was. She took no notice of the fine furnishings that surrounded Sarah. Such things had no place in her life, unlike her mother. Sarah was her first and only priority at this point in time and she would see to it that she got the care that she needed. The two women chatted for a few minutes before Sarah fell asleep. Her younger sister tucked her into bed and made sure she was warm. She planned on bringing her sister some dinner and was well on her way out to retrieve it when Ryan offered her to order whatever she wanted. She smiled at the young man. The admiration and worry for her sister was very clear in his eyes and allowed him to place an order for tomato soup. He had one of his personal chefs make some for her. The young man boasted about the chef's wonderful tomato soup, which led to Jenna's acquiescence.

"What would you like to have?" Ryan asked pleasantly.

"Me? Oh, I was going to pick something up and come back." Jenna replied. "No need to inconvenience anyone else."

"Nonsense. I can have whatever you want up here in no time. I don't care if it's pizza."

Ultimately, a small pizza was ordered for Jenna and while she waited, she congregated with Ryan and one of his sisters. Lee Bryant, on the other hand, just stayed on his side of the fancy living room of the condo. He was content with reading a book by a blazing fireplace with a glass of wine, subtly admiring Jenna. He wasn't pleased, however, with Linda following him about the place. He bit his tongue and continued to read his book. He was hellbent on ignoring Linda and the beautiful, feisty, young woman that graced his friend's condo. Unfortunately for Lee, that was exceptionally hard to do. Linda was peering over his shoulder, trying to read what he was reading, and Jenna was conversing with his friend and his sister. From where he was sitting, the woman was standing near a large window and the moonlight that fell on her gave her that supernatural glow. Lee shook his head and returned to his book.

"Ms. Williams," the chef called. "The soup is ready. Would you like for me to take it to your sister?"

"No, thank you. I would like to take it." Jenna replied politely.

The young woman took the soup from the chef and took it to her sister, ignoring whatever snide comments Linda made about her and completely missing Lee telling the woman to shut up and keep her mouth shut. Children were meant to be seen and not heard. Linda pouted.

* * *

Jenna placed the silver tray in front of her sleeping sister. She gently stroked her sister's damp, blonde hair before she started to stir. Sarah woke up to her tomato soup and the two women enjoyed some conversation over dinner. Ryan Harrison was the topic of interest, although Sarah spent most of it blushing as her younger sister teased her about her crush. It was a pleasant evening as it could be, despite Sarah's poor health. It was much better than being stuck with Lee Bryant and Linda in the same room. She wasn't sure if she could stay in there without strangling one or the other. Sarah teased Jenna back about Lee. Without her knowledge, Lee had been staring at Jenna since his arrival with Ryan at the one dinner party that they had attended.

"Please," Jenna snorted. "I bet he was staring at me just to criticize me."

"Oh, I don't think so." Sarah disagreed. "You are a pretty girl and what man wouldn't want to stare at a girl like you?"

Sarah stroked her sister's silver hair. She had started out blonde as a child but as time passed, it became a beautiful silver color. She often told Jenna that she was envious of her hair because she looked like a goddess in the moonlight. That was how Jenna got her 'moon goddess' nickname. Every time that the moon struck her and her silver hair, she resembled a goddess.

"You're pretty, too," Jenna said. "Otherwise, Ryan Harrison wouldn't be fawning over you the way he is."

* * *

A week went by and, by then, Sarah had recovered from her cold. Jenna and she went home, much to Linda's relief. Lee simply rolled his eyes as she whined and complained about having to host another unwanted guest. Ryan reminded his sister that they were borrowing this condo and that they were guests here as well before he struck up a conversation with Lee.

"You seem rather partial to Jenna, my friend." Ryan said.

"Hm." Lee grunted.

"You think her very pretty."

"Gorgeous." Lee replied thinking.

He flushed when he realized that he said that out loud, which prompted Ryan to tease him and goaded him into asking her out. Lee reminded him that he had insulted Jenna that one time and that she wouldn't accept it. Ryan fell silent. He would come up with something for his friend. Besides, he did feel sorry that his friend had to put up with his clingy sister, Linda. Perhaps a date...maybe even a blind date...was in order.


	6. Chapter 6

Lee's POV

"You did WHAT?"

"I set you up on a date, old man..." Ryan said. "With none other than Jenna Williams."

I could just murder my friend,...seriously. Unfortunately, if I did that then I would be stuck with the clingy woman that was his sister. That woman was a pain in my butt. The other sister, Janet, wasn't so bad. She was reserved but in an arrogant sort of way (kind of like me, if you looked at it that way). I felt sorry that Ryan had to put up with Linda. Maybe that was why he decided to set me up on a date-after he consulted with his love interest, Sarah Williams, before her departure-with Jenna. Well, when you looked at it, I would much rather go to dinner with her rather than put up with Linda. If Jenna puts up a fight, then that's okay with me.

"Does Jenna know?"

"She does." Ryan replied. "Sarah didn't want to be shunned by her sister so she spoke to her and Jenna, reluctantly, agreed."

Reluctantly was probably a good word in this situation. Jenna hated my guts because of my attitude towards people and in the world in general. The world was a cruel place to live in, my father taught me. He taught me that in order to survive the world, I had to be tough, even if it meant being cold and cruel to everyone. My father forced me to put this attitude into practice at the age of seventeen. If I was to run his company then I would have to be cutthroat and ruthless in order to compete with other businesses. I was in my early twenties when I took over my father's company and, by then, every corporate jerk in New York hated my butt...the Trump, included. Since then, I've been the biggest bastard people take me as and that included the beautiful, silver-haired maiden that I was going to see this evening.

"When am I supposed to meet her?"

"Does eight o'clock sound okay to you?"

I looked at my watch. I had two hours to prepare...more than enough time to get showered and presentable. I asked where I would be meeting her and I was given a very precise location based on Jenna's taste. "The Standard Grill," according to Ryan, was one of Jenna's favorite restaurants to visit. That place was a five-star restaurant. The woman did have good taste in restaurants, which really surprised me. I thought she was more of a French cuisine sort of girl but she wasn't. I'm glad that she wasn't since I'm not into French food. Too many bad memories of having to eat snail as a kid still haunted me. Even if she was, then I would be happy to oblige her. She was the kind of woman that deserved to be treated like royalty.

"Get moving, Bryant!" Ryan exclaimed!

"Uh...right."

...

Jenna's POV

I'm not exactly pleased with Sarah, but I couldn't stay mad at her for long. She was just trying to be helpful. I was kind of surprised by her behavior, though, because she wasn't the type of girl that got involved with matchmaking. That kind of stuff was left to my mother and younger sisters. I had to admit, though, that it was kind of funny to see my mother seethe when she told her of my date with Lee Bryant. Father was just as shocked but he didn't make a big deal out of it. He knew that I could take care of myself if a man got fresh with me. Once, I went out on a date with a former executive of a now-defunct business, who was my age, and everything was going okay on the ride to our fine dining restaurant when he started to feel me up. I asked the driver to stop and pull over, which he was willing to oblige to, and I got out of the car. My date tried to follow me out, which was what I wanted, but I caught him with a blow to his forehead. It knocked him out, needless to say, and I ordered the driver to go home without me.

"Don't go knocking Lee Bryant out, Jen." Sarah said. "He's actually being civil."

"Don't hesitate to knock him out if he gets fresh, dear." Our father said.

I smirked. My father was the best father there was.

A/N: Next time, Jenna meets Lee at "The Standard Grill" (which is a real restaurant by the way) and the date turns out to be something quite unexpected. See you folks later! Feedback is always appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

Jenna's POV

Lee picked me up at the appointed time. Sarah had gently teased me about me trying not to kill my date. I couldn't stay mad at my beloved sister, although I was still surprised that she was getting involved with some matchmaking. That was usually left to our flight mother and sisters. Jessie teased me about how I was going to get a rich and handsome husband by the end of the night. Father and I snorted at the idea and mother just sighed at the idea of having me married off to a wealthy man like Lee...which was funny because she had been bashing Lee Bryant not too long ago. Handsome and rich described him perfectly but so did arrogant and cold. He was definitely not my type of man unless he had another side to him that no one had seen before, which I highly doubted.

However, when he and I got going in his limo, we had a surprisingly civil conversation and he was definitely an intellectual. He and I discussed various Victorian literature at great length and it gave me some really interesting insight to the man that Lee Bryant truly was. For some odd reason, I found this highly attractive. I preferred this man to the cold and arrogant CEO that he was to the outside world. He surprised me when we arrived to our destination. It was one of my favorite restaurants in New York, called "The Standard Grill." I couldn't believe it. I thought he would take me to some snooty French restaurant in the city.

"I'm not a French food kind of guy." He told me.

I felt my heart race when he looked at me with those smokey gray eyes. They were definitely far from the hard and cruel eyes that he normally sported. I had to ask why he always acted like he did in public. He was honest in his reply.

"I'm a private man. I prefer not to let anybody see that side of me. I was brought up to be tough and brutal in the business world."

Like a gentleman, he offered me his arm and escorted me into the restaurant as we continued our conversations. I ignored all of the stares that we were given. Considering the reputation that Lee had, they probably weren't expecting him to be escorting anyone, much less a woman, to dinner. In his own way, he was sort of a celebrity and I was just an unknown. However, there were a few gentlemen that came up to us greeted us genially. I was absolutely clueless as to whom these men were and I didn't think I would find out who they were since it wasn't any of my business to ask when Lee told me:

"Those are my executives from my company." He said kindly.

I hated to say it but I was falling for this version of Lee Bryant.

...

Lee's POV

Tonight was going better than I expected. I guess being myself with Jenna was the best way to go. I'm definitely going to have to treat Ryan and his love interest, Sarah Williams, to a night out. Perhaps I would return the favor and set them up for a private date, all paid by me. Ryan has been my best friend since childhood and he has stayed by me faithfully and helped me run my company whenever I needed the help. It was the least I could do. I sighed as I escorted Jenna inside the restaurant. I could tell that she was still surprised by my current demeanor. All she had ever known was my cold, hard ass behavior. Hell, I insulted her for god's sake by saying that she wasn't beautiful! Damn it, she was! She's the most beautiful creature on the face of the planet! I don't think, though, that I could ever say that to her face. I'm too much of a coward to admit that.

A couple of my executives, who often dined here at "The Standard Grill," actually greeted us and we spoke on a casual level. They were rather interested in the young woman next to me and I introduced her to them. I was quite taken by this side of Jenna. She was far from the fiery and feisty woman that I had come to know and I liked this version of her. She was an elegant lady but, quite frankly, I preferred the feisty version. That version of her was just much more attractive than the quiet and submissive Jenna.

_Hm._ I wondered. _What will get her blood going?_

I would figure it out sooner or later. When I sat down with her, I saw something in her eyes that really threw me in for a loop. I was quite familiar with the infatuated look that women got when they stared at me, but this infatuation that I saw in Jenna was genuine. I guess that's how I could describe it. Genuine infatuation and it was quite refreshing...and some much needed ammo to get her all riled up. I smirked at her, which made her blush. Boy, she just kept on giving me more ammo to tease her with. Tonight would definitely be entertaining.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this! Critiques are always welcomed! I can't improve if I don't get my critiques! See ya!


	8. Chapter 8

Jenna's POV

My blood was boiling but in a very good way, despite all of the teasing and needling Lee handed me at dinner. It seemed to me that he enjoyed it when I spoke back to him. He wanted it and he got it, which made an entertaining evening. However, his good nature dissolved when a young man approached our table. Lee's gray eyes became hard and cold again as he came face to face with our visitor. I didn't know who he was but it was clear that Lee knew and he wasn't happy at all. I could feel the tension between the two men and I became rather uncomfortable with the whole atmosphere and even more so when the young man turned his attention on me. He was slender in build and had a boyish and innocent face. However, just one look into his black eyes and I shivered. There was nothing friendly about those eyes.

"What a surprise, Bryant!" The young man said. "Didn't think I would see you again so soon and with a beautiful young lady in tow."

"Pleasure as always, Willis." Lee replied coldly.

The ice in Lee's voice was there. I let my fingers find his and held his hand. I could feel the surprise but it was clearly welcomed because his hand covered mine and tightened his grip. It was strange. I could almost feel the angry energy coursing through his veins. The young man asked Lee if he was going to introduce him to me. He was reluctant but he introduced me to Austin Willis of a rivaling Fortune 500 company in New York. I couldn't help but cringe when he checked me out. He was handsome, yes, but I felt that I needed to stay away from him. I didn't know why but I felt the need to take a shower.

"I didn't think you were the type to date." Austin continued. "This is a surprise indeed."

Lee didn't bother to tell Austin that we were on an actual date and that was fine with me. It wasn't any of Austin's business to know what we were up to. I kept my eyes solely on Lee, which seemed to irritate the dirty blonde across from us. I didn't care. I tried to be pleasant when he did speak to me but I just wanted to run away and not look back. That was the kind of feeling that I was getting from Austin. I tried to soothe Lee's tension but he was too worked up to register my ministrations.

_What am I doing?_

First, I was on a date with a man who portrayed to be an arrogant jerk and all of the sudden I was comforting him. This was the strangest date that I have ever been on...if you can even call it that, now that we were interrupted. Oh, yeah...did I already mention that I was falling for Lee's gentler side? I didn't even know he had a gentle side until tonight. Sheesh. Unfortunately, his gentle side would be buried by his old personality...the very personality that I despised. What a shame.

"I better go, as I have a meeting with a few men." Austin said.

"Please do. It'll be rude to keep them waiting." Lee replied icily.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Williams."

"Likewise."

As soon as Austin disappeared, Lee almost yanked me out from our table. He paid the bill immediately and we headed out. I asked him what was wrong, but he refused to answer any of my questions. I frowned. He was definitely back to being the arrogant jerk that I was used to seeing. We were getting along, too. The obvious solution was that Austin angered him in someway. I wasn't blind to that. He pushed me into his limousine and ordered his driver to take me back home.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded.

"It's personal." Lee growled. "I don't want you in the middle of it."

His anger took me by surprise. He was frightening and intimidating. Quite frankly, I thought that was rather sexy.

_Hello! This is Lee Bryant we're talking about here! You're not supposed to find him attractive._

I sat back in my seat and said nothing for the rest of the night.


	9. Chapter 9

Lee's POV

Austin Willis just had to show up and ruin everything for me. Just seeing his face makes my blood boil. My father had given him a place to stay and actually educated him and for what? All for Austin to throw it away for a life of gambling, womanizing, and drinking. My own sister had gotten caught up in his own dark scheme and very nearly paid for it with her virginity if I hadn't found her in the nick of time. I had placed her in the care of the headmistress at the all-girls school that my sister attended and that turned out to be the biggest mistake ever. It turned out that the headmistress conspired with Austin to have my sister married to him behind my back. My sister had inherited a good portion of our mother's wealth after she had died from a lingering illness. I confronted Austin and the headmistress and they both admitted their guilt. That was the last time I saw of Austin...until tonight.

Poor Jenna. She was getting the brunt of my anger and now she wouldn't even look at me. I suppose that she did try to talk to me but I couldn't bring myself to speak to her much less listen. I was afraid that if I did speak to her that my anger would get the best of me. So much for having a good time with her. Now she hated me. I sighed. This was all Austin's fault. I really should tell Jenna the reason why I was acting the way I was but I had already told her that it was personal.

_Damn it, Austin._

Not only did Austin target my sister, he targeted all of my female companions as well over the course of several years. The way he looked at Jenna tonight made me fear that he would go after her and use her like he used my sister. I opened my mouth to try and explain to Jenna why I acted the way I did but nothing came out. I sighed a deep sigh. Maybe making her hate me was the way to go, but if I didn't try to explain my behavior then what were the chances that Austin could go after her and turn her against me? Austin was the type of man who would do anything to gain the upper hand over me.

"Thank you for the ride." Jenna said quietly.

I looked out of the window. I had gotten so lost in memories that I didn't realize that we arrived at Jenna's home. The chauffeur let Jenna out. She thanked him and then she thanked me for the evening. I saw how sad she had become and my heart broke into a million pieces. I wanted to reach out and comfort her and apologize for my behavior. I couldn't bring myself to do so. I hated myself at the moment.

"Expect a letter from me." I said quickly.

She looked surprised but she nodded before she turned away from me. My letter would explain my behavior and the history that I had with Austin Willis. Hopefully she would understand.

...

Jenna's POV

"Did you have a good time, Jenna?"

I looked at my older sister with a blank look on my face. I couldn't bring myself to tell her what happened. Sarah took me by the hand and took me to her room. Whenever we had conversations, we always went into her room. It was cozy and it was the best place to be when we needed sisterly time together and when we needed to confide in each other. Tonight, I needed that sisterly time and tell her what had gone on. The story came pouring out when she closed the door behind her. I told her that I had a fabulous time with Lee and that he showed a side to himself that no one had ever seen before. I was so happy to be with that man but my heart broke when he turned back into the cold and hardened man that he had been in the beginning.

"What happened to make him go back?" Sarah asked sympathetically.

I told her of the man, Austin Willis. Her ears perked up when I said his name, which made me curious. I finished my story quickly, telling Sarah about how cocky Austin was and how angry Lee was when he saw the dirty blonde and how cold he acted towards him and me. I wanted to cry because of that sudden change but I didn't let myself. I didn't want to admit that I had fallen for the gentler side of Lee Bryant but that proved fruitless. My sister was rather observant and said:

"Are you attracted to Lee?"

"His gentle side was very attractive." I admitted. "He was nothing like the man that we saw at the dinner party."

Sarah nodded.

"Then he became cold again...all because of Austin."

"I think I know who Austin is."

Sarah explained how she knew Austin. Austin Willis was the son of a wealthy businessman that was considered top dog on Wall Street, Tobias Willis. Tobias used to work with our father before he became extremely wealthy and left everything behind to 'work the street' as our father said. Tobias had been our father's best friend before he left and, recently, the man had introduced his son, Austin to the world of finance and business. Sarah told me that she got that out of a newspaper from two weeks ago.

"You read a newspaper? I'm shocked." I teased Sarah.

She was never in the habit of reading the paper, unless there was something of interest that caught her eye. Otherwise, she would just skim the morning paper after our father had read it.

"Is it as shocking as you liking Lee Bryant?" She asked me.

We both giggled.

A/N: Austin Willis is the George Wickham of my 'Pride and Prejudice' story. I hope you guys enjoyed this. Feedback is always welcomed!


	10. Chapter 10

Jenna's POV

I found myself hating Lee Bryant once again...well, more of the man he had become. He was no longer the kind and gentle man that he had been on our date and, I don't know why, I found myself heartbroken over his change. He was twice as cold and hard when I had first met him. We had thrown a dinner party at our house and invited Ryan, his sisters and, of course, Lee. Father also had invited Austin Willis and my youngest sister, Jessie, was charmed by him. She didn't see the mischief in Austin's eyes, like the way she did, but she was only eighteen and clearly fancied herself in love. Mother hoped to see one of her daughters married off to the handsome blonde. I scoffed at this, but I said nothing to her. Austin had been responsible for Lee's transformation. I had tried to approach Lee but he blew me off. I was even more heartbroken by this even though I tried not to show it. I guess I let myself be charmed by Austin because he swept me off of my feet and took me away onto the dance floor. We danced for most of the night.

"What's wrong, Jenna?" Sarah asked me. "You're not happy. I can see it."

"I'd rather not speak of it."

"Is it because of Lee?"

I remained silent but my sister understood. We both watched Austin dance with our sisters, all of them charmed by the dirty blonde. Sarah was eventually taken to the dance floor by Ryan. I was taken by the sight. Those two were so much in love that I could no longer doubt the possibility of hearing wedding bells ring. However, I was surprised that Lee was actually on the dance floor...with Linda Harrison. I finally had it with him. I resolved then and there that I would wash my hands of him. He would be nothing more than just an unfortunate acquaintance that I had to put up with. I saw that Linda was giving me a look of triumph but I gave her nothing more than a blank stare, which disappointed her. I refused to take the bait. I was more woman than she was and that was how it would remain. There were more men that were happy that I wasn't with Lee, which left me a long line of men that wanted to dance.

I think Ryan actually noticed his friend's behavior because he had a look of surprise on his face. I could tell that he was tempted to talk to his friend but thought the better of it. That was good. Come to think of it, why was _he_ surprised? Did Ryan think that we were actually going to be together? Just because my sister and he set me up on a date with Lee didn't mean we were going to be an exclusive couple. His plan backfired on him. Too damn bad.

_Sorry, Ryan, to disappoint you. Your sister can have him._

I turned my attention to the many men that desired my attention.

* * *

Ryan's POV

"What in heaven's name is the matter with you?" I asked Lee.

I cornered my friend after my dance with Sarah and herded him into a private area of the Williams' home, where I knew I was welcome to be at. I needed to know why he shunned Jenna all of the sudden...and why the hell he decided to dance with my annoying sister. Lee had admitted to me that he had a good time with her the other night but he had arrived home in a rather sour mood. He wouldn't tell me, of course, the stubborn jack-wagon and went straight to bed.

"Nothing." Was Lee's response. "Why do you ask?"

"You shun Jenna and you're dancing with Linda. What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing."

"We've been best friends since we were kids. You told me everything that was bothering you. Why not now? Aren't we friends?"

Lee sighed. I was getting to him. I didn't mean to guilt-trip him but I needed to know what was bothering him and why he was shunning Jenna. Jenna was clearly hurting by his attitude, despite her blank looks that she gave my sister and the false smiles she gave me. I might be dense at reading emotions but reading people is what I do best and I knew that she was hiding behind that blank face of hers. I gave my friend a hard stare before he finally spilled the beans.

"Austin Willis showed up during my date with Jenna."

Damn.

* * *

Lee's POV

I knew that I was hurting Jenna by ignoring her and dancing with Linda. I don't know why the hell I chose her in the first place because there were plenty of other women that I could have danced with. I wasn't thinking, of course, but I should have realized that Linda had been jealous of Jenna and thought of her as competition. I sighed. If it kept Jenna away from me, then I would keep on going with my current plan. I told Ryan of Austin's appearance on my date with Jenna and he had gone pale as a sheet. He, too, was aware of the history that Austin and I had. In fact, Ryan was the one who helped me track down Austin in the first place so I could confront him about my sister...which reminded me.

_I have a letter that I've yet to write._

I promised that I would write to Jenna about my behavior but that had been almost a week ago, now. If Jenna was as sharp as I thought she was, she would probably think that I wasn't a man of my word. I am a man of my word and I planned on setting that letter out as soon as I returned home. For the time being, though, I would have to suffer this dinner party...without Jenna being close to me. That was the reason why I had come here in the first place, but Austin just had to show up and ruin everything for me _again._ I couldn't be close to the beautiful maiden that had since stolen my heart without the dirty (in every sense of the word) blonde interfering. If he knew just how much I desired her, he would be hankering after her, too.

I growled as I watched her dance with him for a second time. She had allowed herself..._allowed herself_...to be charmed by him. I felt my rage rise and my fists curled. I really wanted to beat him to death just for even touching her and holding her in the way that I wanted to. Damn it, I was jealous!


	11. Chapter 11

Jenna's POV

I could feel Lee's stare piercing into my back but I ignored him. I had plenty of dancers on hand and I was quite fine with that. None of them were like Lee Bryant but I was alright with that too because I was trying to forget him and get him out of my mind. He wasn't the man that I thought he was. I guess what he had shown me was nothing more than a facade and that I was a plaything to him. He was awful. I kept my eyes away from him for as long as possible. Austin helped me with that by pulling me as far away from him as possible. I was nothing short of grateful, despite my initial judgement of him. I suppose in my vulnerable state, I found myself inexplicably drawn to him. I saw no evil in his eyes this time. I saw compassion and sympathy. I ignored my mother's gushing and Jessie's whining.

He and I talked a good majority of the evening, whenever Jessie and my younger sisters weren't monopolizing Austin, of course. He was very sweet and charming. However, I did notice that he kept casting nasty glances at Lee. Lee returned them. That revived my earlier curiosity from when I had my date with him when the two men came face to face at "The Standard Grill." I wanted to know about the history between the two men and Austin was nothing short of pleased when I asked about it.

"He cheated me out of some money." Austin said.

He launched into a history of gambling, alcoholism and nepotism. I couldn't believe the story that he told about Lee. Lee didn't sound like the type of man to gamble and drink. He always had that air of self-assurance and self-confidence and control. For him to lose control of himself didn't sound like Lee Bryant. The nepotism, however, sounded plausible since his father had been the one to actually name Lee as the new CEO of the company that he was now running (it turned out that it was another Fortune 500 company, according to Austin). Austin told me that Lee used to gamble with the company's money and whatever he won he would use it on alcohol.

"He actually tried to bribe me out of marrying his sister."

I was surprised to hear all of this.

* * *

Lee's POV

"Let me go, Ryan!" I growled.

That bastard was telling Jenna lies and she was buying into them! I was going to pulverize Austin and send him back to his father, crying like the sniveling coward that he was. I was afraid of this. All of my efforts to keep him away from her was for naught. Ryan was holding me back and his brother-in-law, the husband of his second sister, had to hold me back, too. I wanted to protect her from his lies and I wanted to protect her from his lustful gaze. I could tell that she was tempted by him and him by her. I almost cried because of her sweet smile. It was directed to womanizing gambler that was out for revenge. I didn't hate Jenna, though. I could never hate her.

"You need to let her go." Ryan said softly.

I didn't want to. I couldn't. She meant a lot to me, despite knowing her for only a short time. She was sweet and innocent (well, towards me, she was feisty and fiery) and didn't deserved to be exposed to such evil. She had even told me that he was a creep but here she was falling for his dark charms and lies. That was how he always got his women. Damn. I had a letter to write and fast. She needed to know the truth.

"Ryan," I said. "I'm going to go home and write a letter that I promised Jenna. You, on the other hand, need to reign your damned sister in!"

Ryan turned around and saw Linda approach Jenna when Austin left. That idiot was definitely going make things even more difficult for me. My friend went off to tend to Linda in order to prevent some damage while I took off for home.

...

_Dearest Jenna,_

_You'll probably be surprised that I actually remembered this letter. I promised you, didn't I? It's a week late, I know, but you need to know something. You had asked me about the history that I had with Austin Willis. I did tell you that it was personal, but I am writing this letter to you to personally acquaint you wit Austin and his wild ways. Everything I'm about to write in here can be vouched for by my friend, Ryan Harrison, as he has been involved with Austin as well. I know you hate me because of my present behavior, but I promise that my behavior towards you was to protect you from the wiles of my business rival. Unfortunately, my efforts were for naught but I will present you with the whole history that I have with the man anyway._

_Austin is the son of Tobias Willis, the top dog of Wall Street. I'm pretty sure you might be acquainted with him. He was associated with your father if I remember correctly. Austin and I went to school together as children and young adults. When we got into college, his behavior went south. He still maintained a good G.P.A because his father was training him to be a businessman and that he would one day inherit his own company and work Wall Street with him but he turned to gambling and womanizing for his companions. _

_That dirty blonde...err, I mean, Austin...met my sister when she was fourteen years old and he, nineteen years old. I had my young sister enrolled in an all-girls school since our mother was no longer alive to personally educate her. That was when everything went straight to hell. My sister had disappeared from school one day, but the headmistress claimed that she had left a message with me to say that my baby sister, Serena, had gone on an afternoon field trip and that she wouldn't return until late. The truth was that she had sent her away with Austin so the two could get married in secret. Ryan tracked him down immediately and I followed him afterwards and confronted the bastard. My sister had inherited a good sum of money from our mother's estate and that was why he targeted my sister. He had gambling debts, prior to becoming a businessman, of course, and he needed money to pay them off._

_Now that you know the truth, I hope you consider my position of why I acted the way I did. _

_Sincerely,_

_Lee Bryant_


	12. Chapter 12

Jenna's POV

I had no idea what to believe. Austin was so convincing about his story about Lee and his behaviors that I bought into it, but a letter had arrived this afternoon. It was the letter that Lee had promised me last week. I took the time to sit down and read it and I was surprised. Linda had been telling the truth. She had approached me last night to warn me off from the blonde-haired man, which was a surprise because she hated my guts and wanted to keep me away from Lee. I just blew her off with a cold stare, reminding her of her dislike for me and mine for her. It worked, even though she begged pardon and said that her interference had been kindly meant. I was so upset with her insolence that I blew off the party for the rest of the evening. I didn't bid any of the guests good night and ignored Lee and Ryan as well. I wasn't happy with them, but my anger turned into confusion when I read Lee's letter. I briefly admired his handwriting before refocusing my attention. Even Sarah was a little stumped by my letter when I showed it to her.

"How does this make you feel?" She asked me.

"I really don't know." I replied. "Confused, for starters, because I thought Austin was innocent."

"Earlier, when you went on that date, you told me that you got the creeps from him."

"I did and then he was charming when I danced with him."

We remained silent for a moment as we mulled over the letter. The beautifully handwritten letter sat in the middle of my bed of comforters. The owner of that script continued to haunt me, even when I promised myself that I should stay away from him. He haunted my thoughts and my dreams every day and night. During the day, I would be reading a book but his face and gray eyes would take the place of the main character of said book. At night, my dreams would be filled of Lee Bryant, handsome and sensual. I could almost feel his warm kisses and caresses on my body. A warm blush rose to my face.

_Jenna, those are dreams. Let's get back into reality, please._

I looked at my sister, who, unfortunately, was watching me and caught me blushing. She cocked a slender eyebrow and smirked at me, asking if I was imagining Lee. I gave her a withering look but my blush gave me away, which I cursed. I confessed to her, almost instantly, about my dreams of him and how sensual he was in them. I thought she would be scandalized by what I had described, but she simply smiled at me...and confessed that she had the same dreams about Ryan.

"Sarah, you tramp!" I teased. "Here I thought you were a prude!"

We laughed. It felt so good to have such a burden lifted. However, once we stopped laughing, a sense of dread suddenly filled me. I didn't know why, but my family and I would find out the very next day.

...

"Jessie's disappeared!" My mother wailed.

"What?"

Mother had gone to check up on Jessie last night and thought she was in bed. She had seen a lump in the bed and assumed that her youngest daughter was asleep. This morning, she went back to her room and discovered that Jessie was not in bed. There had been no sign of her. That started the manhunt for my youngest sister. The culprit behind her disappearance should have been obvious, but my mind had been clouded with so much doubt. Thankfully, there was one person who would make me see the light...who had led me in the right direction about the culprit in question from the very beginning. I went back to Lee's letter and re-read it. I could practically feel his words eating into me and the truth running through me like sand in a sand glass.

_Why did I believe that bastard?_ I wondered.

How could I have been so taken in by someone that I had initially judged as a creep? I always followed my instincts and, yet, I ignored them. I let myself be taken in by Austin...just like Jessie had and now she was gone. I should have paid closer attention to her and her actions. She had fancied herself in love with Austin and more than likely ran away with him. I felt so awful.

_I'm sorry, Lee._

I hesitated at first, but I made the decision to contact him. If he could keep our reputation intact, then I had to make the call. I told my father of the letter that I received from Lee Bryant. He read it and sighed as he agreed that I should get a hold of him, since he was the only one that knew of Austin's true nature. I knew father felt bad because he had used to work with Tobias, Austin's father, and he had thought highly of him and of his son. His heart was broken. I picked up the phone and dialed Lee's number.

* * *

Lee's POV

I wasn't expecting anyone to call me at work, much less Jenna, so I was surprised to hear her voice. I was pleased and shocked at the same time because I had treated her poorly and, yet, she got up her courage to call me for help. I tried to soothe her as best I could so I could try to understand her better. My fist curled into a ball when Austin's name came up and that her youngest sister, Jessie, had ran off with him. Bile rose. The disgust I felt at the moment was overwhelming. My letter must have arrived at the perfect time because I suspected that Jenna would have been the one to disappear with Austin rather than Jessie since Jenna was the initial target.

_Why Jessie, though?_

If I knew Austin, he probably went after Jessie since she had been flirting hard with him and he was the type of man to take every opportunity that was presented to him. Jessie had been making herself an open target. However, I wondered if he chose Jessie just because of her connection to Mr. Williams. Mr. Williams and Tobias had worked together before they put distance between each other. I wondered if Mr. Williams had done something to Tobias and Austin felt the need to exact revenge for his father. If that was the case, then what did Mr. Williams do to Tobias? There were so many questions and not enough answers. For now, I had to go on a retrieval mission and who better than to enlist than my best friend, Ryan? After I soothed the distraught woman and hung up, I dialed my friend's number. He picked up on the first ring, surprised that I was calling at this hour of the workday.

"Want to go on a retrieval mission with me?"


	13. Chapter 13

Jenna's POV

I was shocked. Lee had managed to track Jessie and Austin down, considering it took him and Ryan months to find the two of them. They had gone off to Europe. I half expected my sister would be knocked up and then dumped by the dirty blonde, but according to Lee, those two were still together...and engaged. I wasn't sure what to think about this. The man on the other side of the line assured me that she wasn't pregnant. He had taken Austin by the shirt and throttled him until he got his word that he didn't knock her up. Lee admitted that it took all that he had from beating the blonde into a bloody pulp.

"For the sake of your family's reputation," Lee said on the phone. "I pretty much bribed Austin into marrying your sister."

I could see why. Austin had a bad reputation and ours was going down the tubes because of the whole incident. Our family had an okay reputation considering that mother managed to blemish it with her own rendezvous just prior to marrying my father ages ago. Now that Jessie had run off with Austin, again, our reputation just went down the drain. We would now be a family known with flighty and whorish women and that we had a father had no control over us. It broke my heart, even though Lee managed to salvage some of our reputation if not all of it. At this point, I didn't really care. All I cared about was my sister and her childish state of mind. I frowned almost immediately.

_Jessie...how could you do that to our family?_

Jessie always had a tendency to do crazy things and this incident took the cake. I listened to the reassuring voice on the other end of the line as it spoke to my father. This was the Lee that I had fallen for. My heart painfully beat against my chest as he said that he would be returning at the end of today, with the engaged couple in tow. He didn't give any other details, such as their residence, but I suspected that he paid for a place for them to live in. I sighed. I was beginning to suspect that he was a very generous man underneath that gruff exterior. I've seen his gentility before so why not? The idea was very plausible.

_Lee Bryant, you are definitely a mysterious man._

He was mysterious indeed and I wanted to know more about him.

* * *

Lee's POV

I sighed as my plane taxied at the La Guardia Airport. It had been a long flight and I was jet-lagged. However, I wasn't about to go to bed just yet. I needed to get to the Williams' home and tell them, in person, that my mission was a complete success. I would tell them that Jessie was safe and engaged to Austin-even though I told them over the phone; I'm a man who likes to make sure that the information that was given was true- and that they would be married shortly. Most important of all, though, I would get to see Jenna again. I wanted to see how she was holding up after all of this. Even though I wasn't happy that Austin targeted that particular family (the reason, which I still had to look into yet), I was glad that he left Jenna alone. She was mine. All mine.

_Mine? Hell, yes._

I would make her mine in more ways than one. Of course, I had to explain my poor behavior to her, first, but I got the feeling that she would forgive me.

...

She did. As soon as I was left alone with her, I was met with a surprising, but welcomed, kiss to the lips. It was a quick, but gentle peck and I was more than satisfied with that. She thanked me for retrieving her sister and for salvaging what was left of her family's reputation. I could tell that she really loved her family, despite what might have happened. We were a lot alike, she and I. We both loved the family that we both had. I had to remember that I yet had to introduce her to my sister. I knew that they would get along quite well with her feisty spirit and my sister's shy nature. They would be quite a pair. For now, I wanted to have my moment with Jenna. I took in her lovely scent of Cherry Blossoms and, maybe, a hint of vanilla.

_My favorite scents._

They hadn't been before but now that I gotten a whiff of her scent, they were now my favorites. Damn pheromones. They drove me nuts especially when I was in close proximity to the woman that I desired. I desired the silver-haired maiden more than I had desired any other woman. I wanted all of her...body, mind, and soul. I wanted to bed her and make love to her. She stirred my blood whenever she got feisty and I wanted more of that. I couldn't scare her, though. I tried to back away as a gentleman would but to my surprise, she held onto me and pulled me back.

"Damn, you're strong."

I hadn't meant to say that out loud, but she clearly didn't mind because she gave me a huge, mischievous grin. There was a seductive glint in her violet eyes that I had never seen before and, I must say, it made her more desirable.

"How am I supposed to handle all one hundred-eighty pounds of you?"

That undid me.

"Come." She said. "I made up a guestroom for you."

Her father had welcomed me into his home as a thank you for retrieving his youngest daughter and allowed me to stay for as long as I wished. When he had said that, I could feel Jenna's eyes boring into me and I knew what she was thinking then and there...she wanted the same thing that I wanted. I was more than happy to oblige her.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Rating has hit the 'M' rating. :P

Jenna's POV

My mother was going to be pissed if she found out that I had slept with a man she detested. However, considering her character, her anger would only last a little while when she came to the realization that her daughter would more than likely be caught up in a potential match with a very wealthy man. Father, on the other hand, could probably careless although he would question why I would be with a man who had initially insulted me in the first place (not to mention that we did hate each other for a time). Thankfully, he was more than willing to listen to reason, unlike his wife, and he knew that I was a fully-grown woman that was capable of making her own decisions. However, I knew that they would be distracted with Jessie's return and acquainting themselves with their future son-in-law. I sighed before I turned to observe Lee. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. I moved a strand of his damp, black hair out of his face. He didn't move so I took time to observe him a little bit more. I knew that he had some musculature but what I saw was pretty damn impressive. I knew from last night how solid and rock hard his muscles were but it was too dark for me to admire him. I could only feel them and I felt just how powerful they were when I held him.

_Wow. A beautiful and sexy Adonis._

Lee Bryant was sexy as hell. Last night, I had teased him just how hot he was, figuratively (and literally), and he was clearly what I called him 'sexperienced.' A man like Lee would have had some women in his life, despite his harsh and cold nature that he exuded. His actions, however, said otherwise and it was a fact that I appreciated, considering how inexperienced I was. He didn't care, though. He said that he would teach me the ways of intimacy...and he did. A warm blush rose to my face as I remembered what I had done. I sighed and laid back onto the pillow, my nude body wrapped in the white, flimsy sheets. I ached in places that I never had been touched (especially down _there_) before but it was a pleasurable feeling. If I wasn't so sore, I probably would have jumped onto my sleeping lover...not that he would have minded.

_It's all part of the experience._ He said to me last night.

It was true. I was simply following my instincts and I knew that it pleased Lee very much, though he was clearly happier when he took the lead. I definitely enjoyed it when he entered me, though it was painful when stripped me of my virginity. After that, though, things became pleasurable after that and things became a blur. The only thing that I remembered was that my body was fitted against his...perfectly, of course...and that he wouldn't let go of me. Even now, he still had a large hand over my waist...and it suddenly drew me near to a no longer sleeping Lee. His lips touched mine and I was looking into his gray eyes.

* * *

Lee's POV

My god, Jenna was so beautiful. I loved how her silver hair was spread out on the bed and how her violet eyes sparkled so brightly. I was pleased with that sparkle. I was the one who put it there after last night's activities. I loved the feel of her smooth, silky skin against mine. It brought an amazing and an erotic feeling that I hadn't felt before, granted that Jenna wasn't the first woman I have laid in bed with. She fit perfectly against me, her breasts pressed tightly against my chest. It felt right. To think that I hated her (and vice versa) was rather ludicrous now. How could one hate such a beauty was beyond me. She deserved to be treated like royalty.

I gave her my best smirk, which brought up a blush to her pretty face. It made her more endearing that way. I decided to take things a little further. I kissed her rather gently on her lips again before I moved on down her neck and towards the beginning swell of her breasts. I heard her inhale quickly. I chuckled before intensifying my kisses. I could, literally, feel her heart pound against her chest as I kissed her in that particular area of her body. I could tell that she enjoyed this and I planned on giving her as much pleasure as she could take.

"Ah...Lee..." Jenna moaned.

I loved that sweet sound that escaped her lips. I was so glad when I found out that she was a virgin last night. I would be her first (and hopefully the last) lover to touch her. Call me childish but I love being first. I slid my hand in between her slender legs and slowly worked my way up to her inner thighs, gently teasing her there. I wanted to pick up where we left off. I had been, after all, teaching Jenna the ways of intimacy.

"Shall we continue the lesson from last night?" I asked.

She simply nodded.

...

No one, save Sarah and Ryan (and maybe Austin), had any idea what went on between me and the second Williams daughter as we joined the rest of the family in the dining room for breakfast. As far as the parents knew, I was still the hard-ass jerk that everyone was familiar with, though they were a little more receptive of me since I did them a huge favor. I looked at Austin, who had a sour look on his face, and smirked at his expense. He wasn't happy with being stuck with Jessie but I did threaten to blackmail him when I confronted him with Ryan...something that I failed to mention to the entire Williams family, Jenna included. I told him that if he married Jessie then I would pay him and his gambling debts off and keep his dirty secret under the carpet. When I had brought that up, he went as white as a ghost. He had been arrested for public intoxication in New Jersey when he had first become the CEO of his company. He made bail and also bought the media's silence in order to keep his reputation as CEO intact. However, someone had leaked it to someone else, who archived the story, and that was how I found out about his criminal record. Of course, that was how I also learned that he had an arrest warrant in New Jersey as well for a hit and run that stemmed off from his drunken stint.

_Serves you right, you bastard._

As for Austin's hatred towards Jenna's father, it turns out that the man had an affair with the current Mrs. Willis (Austin's mother) years ago when the blonde was a kid. She got pregnant as a result, but miscarried. She had told her son that he was going to be a big brother, something that he looked forward to even though he didn't understand the situation, but that never happened. Apparently, he blamed Mr. Williams for his mother's miscarriage and decided that he would get even by targeting one of the girls in order to satisfy his lusting ways. He would have succeeded if Jenna hadn't called me. She cared enough for her sister to make that call and trusted me to take on Austin...and forgot her anger.

_Now, look at us._


	15. Chapter 15

Lee's POV

"Well...damn."

I had just gotten a call from my Aunt Katherine Burg from Manhattan. She has the idea that she can foist her daughter, my cousin, onto me as a wife. The woman is mad, I tell you. She clearly doesn't get the fact that first-cousin marriages have since been outlawed. Oh, yes...did I mention that she firmly believed in social classes? For me, I couldn't careless, even though Jenna was pretty much in the same class that I was. If Jenna was a middle class citizen, I would have gone after her...eventually. I was brought up to be like Aunt Katherine but her views never really sunk into me. I might have been an arrogant son of a bitch in the beginning but I've since learned not to be as judgmental. Katherine, though, would probably see Jenna as a low/middle class citizen since her wealth wasn't as immense as ours and then, of course, there was the entire scandal with Austin and Jessie. She would find that grounds to dismiss Jenna and her family as lowly people and that we should not interact with them in anyway.

My aunt called to tell me that she was coming over for a visit and was bringing my cousin, Annie, over. I just sighed. I felt bad about my cousin. She was a frail and ill little creature. I couldn't tell you what her condition was, but said condition was taking a serious toll on her. Having a child, I thought, would kill her for sure. Ryan and I would often sit up into the night in order to see if there was anything we could do to get my poor cousin out of that situation. Her mother didn't care for her welfare at all. All she cared about was getting her daughter a husband. Unfortunately, Ryan and I remained unresolved where my cousin was concerned.

"What's eating you, brother?"

I turned to see my little sister, Serena, in my office. She was nineteen years old and getting to be quite an attractive young woman. I didn't worry much about her anymore now that she had learned from the situation with Austin and she was quite an expert in self-defense. I must admit, though, that my protectiveness over her still overtook me sometimes and she had to remind me that she could take care of herself and that she would eventually have to leave in order to live her own life as an independent woman. As a brother, I couldn't be more proud of a girl like her. I stared at her carefully and I was startled. I hadn't realized that she shared my own physical characteristics until now. When she was younger, it hadn't been as obvious. She had beautiful black locks of hair that fell down in pretty curls to her waist and her eyes were the same smokey gray as mine. If it wasn't for the age difference, we could've been taken for twins. I briefly wondered if this was another reason that Austin went after my sister. Ah, well...

"Our Aunt Katherine is coming to visit."

"Is she bringing Annie?"

"Yes."

"That poor girl."

Even though I never discussed Anne's health, it was painfully clear to whoever she met that she was seriously ill and Serena was no exception. Thankfully, she showed compassion for our cousin and whenever she visited, Serena would make sure that she was personally tended to since her mother made no movement. She was also aware that our aunt was trying to marry our cousin off to me. Serena often scoffed at this whenever this topic came up.

_I have such a smart sister._

Serena was about to go away again when I remembered that we had a formal dinner engagement over at Williams' home. I had been bragging to her about Jenna as of late and she wanted to meet her. I couldn't let my sister be disappointed. Besides, I had been meaning to introduce the two of them, anyway. I just never had gotten to it. When I brought this to her attention, her gray eyes lit up with the excitement and I beamed. I loved it when my sister was pleased.

* * *

Jenna's POV

I slipped into a simple pink gown that hung low on my shoulders. Mother insisted that the dinner with our company should be formal. Austin and Jessie had since left to their new residence, for which I was glad. I was getting sick of my future brother-in-law leering at me everyday of the week that he was here. I was glad that the wedding was only days away. The couple had announced their engagement after their return from Europe, at Lee's insistence, and there were mixed reactions, of course. Overall, though, it wasn't too bad. I sighed as I continued to pin my hair up. Sarah zipped my dress up, though she slyly implied that Lee would simply unzip me again, and we both giggled and chattered as we finished doing each other up and adding last-minute touch ups. Ryan was also coming (minus his sisters, thank god) so mother insisted that she look her best, too.

"That's our mother." She sighed.

"Matchmaker, matchmaker..." I sang.

Sarah laughed louder when I continued the little rhyme. It perfectly described our scheming mother. She had one daughter married, so why not go for one more, if not two? Mother still had no idea that I was involved with Lee and, if she did, she would be bouncing off the walls. I sighed as Sarah and I left the room we shared. I was kind of excited for this meeting. Not only would I see him again, but I would finally get to meet his charming sister. Every time we were alone together, he would brag about his sister and how he longed for us to meet. Tonight was the night I would meet Serena.

"Ah," Father said. "We've been waiting for the two of you."

Our guests had arrived. Sarah immediately greeted Ryan and was introduced to Serena. I met with Lee, who took my hand into his and kissed it while he had his gray eyes boring into mine with a fire that I was quite familiar with. I blushed before I was introduced to his beautiful sister. She was a stunning beauty, a trait that she shared with her handsome older brother. Initially, I thought they were twins before Lee told me of her age.

_That's right._ I thought. _Lee said that she had been fourteen when Austin swept her off her feet._

Serena had a benevolent and innocent face, though I was under the impression that she was quite independent. She was shy on the outside but bold on the inside. I knew that we would get along well just fine.


	16. Chapter 16

Serena's POV

I was so pleased that my brother was going to introduce me to the woman that had capture his heart. I haven't seen him so happy in ages. He usually hid behind a cold exterior in the business world, which felt so foreign to me because he was the kindest brother that I had. He had done so much for me in the past few years and I adored him, especially when he busted Austin for what he had been truly been planning. My heart still aches for what he had done. I thought Austin was a true gentleman but to hear of his past history and what he had done to brother made me shiver. Then when I heard what Austin did with the youngest Williams sister, I was angry. Just seeing his true colors made me see just how close I came to marrying a low-life. I sighed. I came out of my thoughts when we arrived at the Williams' household. We were greeted by the man of the house and his wife. She was...energetic, while her husband was a bit more low-key, but kind. I met the younger sisters, sans Jessie. Lydia, the second youngest was quite outgoing, if not silly, while the third sister, Marian, was more of an intellectual.

"Ah!" I heard Mr. Williams exclaim. "We were waiting for the two of you."

Two young women in their early to mid-twenties arrived in the foyer. The blonde woman was quite a catch with her blonde hair and blue eyes but she was introduced to me as Sarah, the oldest daughter and Ryan's love interest...according to my brother. I could see how in love Ryan was with her and I smiled at that. However, I turned my attention to the silver-haired woman, who had her eyes on Lee the entire time-and vice versa. Lee introduced me to Jenna-his love interest. My brother had been right; she was beautiful. In my opinion, she was more beautiful than her older sister. I had never seen such lovely hair in my life and her equally gorgeous violet eyes. I glanced at my brother and I could just see the love and desire in his eyes for her. My smile grew bigger. Jenna made him happy.

"Pleasure to meet you, Serena." She said pleasantly.

"Pleasure to finally meet _you._" I said with a grin. "My brother has talked quite a bit about you."

"All good I hope." She said with a wink.

Lee simply smirked. There was the brother I knew well and I loved him for it...and Jenna did, too. She had a pleasant blush rise to her face. I liked her a lot. She was much better suited for Lee, unlike his previous girlfriends. She was much more modest, though she was quite witty and sharp-tongued. Those two exchanged quips and jokes, while they let me in on most of them..._most_ of them. There were a few that they didn't let me in on, which suggested to me that they were much more involved with each other than they let on. I didn't mind, though. Jenna was the kind of person that I would enjoy being with. I could see her being my sister-in-law. Just looking at them now, they made a beautiful pair. I couldn't help but smile at the prospect. Lee looked over at me and winked with conspiracy.

_What are you going to do, Lee?_ I wondered.

...

Jenna's POV

Dinner was quite pleasant. Mother was charmed by Serena, as was my father. My sisters liked her, too, though it was clear that she would rather be with me and her brother. Lee had warned me that she was quite shy and she was. I had to engage her in some conversation and, once we got the ball rolling, she talked. She was polite and sweet...kind of like her brother. Lee was very well-mannered and really charmed my mother with his temper and smiles. I could tell that she, along with father, were taken by surprise by this change in demeanor but it was clearly welcomed. Mother was dropping subtle hints about another possible marriage, which made me blush. Lee said nothing and Ryan couldn't keep a straight face, thus excusing himself with Sarah in tow. I had to admit, though, that idea wasn't far from my thoughts. Lee squeezed my hand underneath the table. I cast a glance at him and there was a tender look in his eyes. His thoughts weren't far from it either. I squeezed his hand back. I never really gave a serious thought to being a married woman. I've entertained the idea but never really took it seriously. Why should I? I didn't think I would find a man that I could love without him loving whatever fortune that I had. I smiled shyly at Lee.

_Mother, you might get your wish._

She just kept on blabbering, though, with no care in the world. I shook my head. So I decided to turn my attention back to Serena, who looked rather relieved when I rescued her from my mother. We talked about what she liked to do and, to my delight, she loved to read and play on the piano. I asked if she would play a couple of songs for us. A sweet blush rose to her face and I said that I would play and sing along, too, with her. That seemed to be a good deal because she agreed to it. I played the piano a lot as a child but I also played the violin as well so it came as a surprise to our visitors that I played both instruments. We retired to our parlor, where a beautiful black grand piano awaited us.

"This is beautiful." Serena said in awe.

"This is the family piano." I told her with a smile.

Everyone took their places. I playfully told everyone that I might not be the best at singing and playing like Serena, who had another blush come to her face. For the first time tonight, I saw Lee give me a true smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Jenna's POV

Jessie's and Austin's wedding was on a Saturday morning. It was performed by a personal family friend, who was a priest and fully licensed in order to perform a wedding. Much to my sister's disappointment, it wasn't the grand wedding that she had hoped for. Instead, it was small and quiet. To be perfectly frank, she didn't deserve a large-scale wedding considering her stupid actions. She and Austin deserved each other. I could tell that he wasn't happy with this turn out but he deserved what he got, too. When I looked at Lee, he had a look on his face that could kill.

_If looks could kill..._I thought.

Lee wanted to strangle Austin, of that I was sure, and I didn't blame him one bit. I couldn't bring myself to be happy for my sister, despite the joyous look on her face. This marriage, I thought, would bring nothing but tragedy for the family. Reputation-wise, everything would be alright. Lee had managed to salvage it, despite the mixed feelings that high society had. Personally, I didn't care about what everyone else thought but it was important to my parents and if it was important to them then I would support them. I sighed quietly as the ceremony continued through the vows. As the vows were being recited, Lee placed a loving hand on my waist and pulled me close. My parents didn't really notice this but he placed a kiss on the top of my head. I could almost feel his desire for me course through his veins and the desire for marriage seemed to be there as well.

Jessie looked lovely in her wedding dress. It was rather elegant, but gaudy. It had a lot of crystals that made her dress look more like a prom dress rather than a wedding dress. The dress was strapless and it poofed out, I guess you can say, at the skirt but I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't going to bring my sister down, despite her poor taste in dresses. Then again, I could blame that one on my mother as well since she helped pick out the dress, too. What a family.

"Are there any objections?" The priest asked.

Our tiny congregation remained silent and the priest continued the final part of the ceremony. The couple shared a kiss, which made me cringe inwardly, and then they were married (and introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Willis) once the priest had pronounced them man and wife. I forced a cheerful look onto my face as I clapped and so did my sisters. Lee, on the other hand, kept his face blank and his anger in check. Yep. I could tell that he still wanted to kill Austin for everything he had done. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, reminding him that whatever happened would end with them. We would no longer have any connection to them. They had their own lives to live, now, though how they would live it would be up to the choices they made in life.

...

"They're gone, now." I said to Lee.

"Thank god." He muttered under his breath.

We all returned to my parents' house for a cheerful celebration among us a couple hours later. Lee had taken me in his own vehicle and we took our time getting there, enjoying each other's company. I was snuggled up against him as he drove. I loved the warmth he exuded. I wished that we could be like this forever. That wedding, despite the circumstances behind it, got my mental cogs rolling and, apparently, Lee was thinking about it, too because he asked me what I thought about marriage.

"What do I think about it?" I queried.

"Yeah."

"I think..." I began. "That the idea is romantic if people take it seriously."

"What do you mean?" Lee asked.

"Marriage is sacred, to me, at least. If people marry because they like the idea, then what's the point?"

"Continue."

"Why marry if you're not going to take vows seriously? That's what I'm talking about here. I don't think Jessie and Austin-especially Austin-are going to take their vows seriously. It's like they're making a mockery of the whole thing, even though they had to get married."

"I think I see what you're saying."

* * *

Lee's POV

I think I understood what Jenna was saying. Marriage was a sacred constitution to those who took it seriously and a very important step in a relationship. Couples solidified their relationships with marriage. Jessie and Austin were forced to get married. They didn't truly love each other, though Jessie fancied herself in love with Austin and Austin was a womanizer, so the marriage itself is a sham. I smiled. Jenna took marriage very seriously and so did I. I was glad that she did because, I wanted to take things between us a little further and, maybe, move our relationship towards that direction. It hasn't been a year but I felt that our relationship was powerful.

_You sentimental dog, you._

I took Jenna's small hand into mine and kissed the palm. I couldn't function without her. She was the very air that I breathed. I was nothing without her. She haunted me night and day. My thoughts were filled with her and she was with me throughout the night in my dreams. I ached every morning when I woke up when I realized that she wasn't next to me in my bed. I would have to fix that eventually. For now, I planned on enjoying the moment. Looking into the future would come tomorrow.

A/N: That ends chapter seventeen, ladies and gentlemen! Hope you guys enjoy! Next time, Katherine Burg (the Catherine de Bourgh of my story) makes an appearance with her daughter, Annie, in tow! How will this meeting between aunt and nephew go down? This should prove rather interesting...anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews, feedback...whatever...are appreciated! See you folks!


	18. Chapter 18

Lee's POV

My aunt arrived at my house a couple of days later. She greeted me and my sister with hugs and kisses (ugh...only Serena and Jenna-especially her-are allowed to do that, thank you very much) and inquired after our health. We responded that we were well and living a healthy life, enjoying whatever society has to offer us. She was pleased to hear this, of course. She's always pleased to hear how well we were enjoying high society. Cousin Annie, the poor thing, was looking worse for the wear. I couldn't believe that her mother dragged her from Florida to New York in her condition. Traveling was always hard on her. I indicated to my sister that she should tend to our young cousin, which she obliged to, and that she should be shown to her room.

"Ah, Lee," My aunt said. "How kind. That's how a good husband should tend to his wife."

Damn it. She still has her heart set on me marrying my cousin. She _still_ doesn't get that first-cousin marriages were banned back in the early nineteen hundreds. This is the freaking twenty-first century, for crying out loud! Unfortunately, I don't think there is anyway to get her to understand that fact. What would definitely be more unfortunate is when I tell her that I'm already in love with another woman. She would definitely flip her lid when she found out. Then again, I'm loathe to tell her that because she'll try to interrogate me about her wealth, situation in life and, even, if she was a virgin...which, of course, I will not answer. I'll just lie.

"Yes, that's how one should take care of a woman of a _sickly_ constitution." I said, emphasizing 'sickly.'

Of course, the woman missed my implication. She stood in front of the mirror that was in the foyer. Her shoulder-length hair was gray and she had sharp, grayish-blue eyes. She was slender but not grossly so that her bones showed but there was some wrinkles, indicating her advancing age...which she has always lied about. She claims that she's in her fifties, but she's actually in her seventies. Her pride and vanity were (and still are) her greatest weaknesses as a person. My sister and I could not stand her, considering how she treated her only child. Ryan and I were still trying to come up with a way to pull her out of the situation she was in, but to no avail at the present time.

_Poor Anne. How am I going to get her away from her mother?_

"So tell me, dear nephew." My aunt began. "You aren't seeing any women, are you? I would be disappointed if you were."

_You'll have to be._ "As a matter of fact, I am."

"Oh?"

_Let the interrogation begin._

...

"I have to meet this woman." My aunt demanded. "I must see if she's up to my standards."

_God have mercy on me._

Well, if I know Jenna, she was going to knock my aunt out of her socks and I intended on enjoying every minute of that meeting. So, I decided to call her up and asked her if she wanted to meet my aunt. The woman in question had been a recent topic of conversation between Jenna and I and it was pretty entertaining to say the least. Jenna was rather worked up about how my aunt worked and, of course, I found that rather sexy. She was beautiful when her face became flushed with anger. Yes, indeed, this would definitely be an interesting meeting. It was going to be more entertaining if Kat Burg, the ice burg, as my sister called her, found out that I was sleeping with Jenna-and the fact that we were unmarried.

_This is going to be good._

* * *

Jenna's POV

Kat Burg, the ice burg, was staring me down as she questioned me about my situation in life. I stared back, almost glaring at her (which she returned), and answered all of her questions to the best of my abilities. Some of her questions were rather nosy, so I asked the same questions right back, which made her go pale. Lee was sitting next to me, but he was failing to keep a straight face. He knew that half of the questions asked were questions that he could easily answer (i.e. 'have you ever had sex?'). Serena was covering her mirth with her napkin, while Anne just sat quietly next to her mother. I felt so sorry for the poor thing and wished that there was something I could do for her, but I got the feeling that I wasn't going to get anywhere near her.

Once the woman was satisfied with what she found, she lapsed into casual conversation with me about what activities that I liked. I couldn't believe this woman. First she was asking personal questions like if I was a virgin (hell, no. I lost it to her nephew) or where I stood in high society, which really wasn't high but respectable nonetheless, etc. Lee sighed and cast a glance at me, nodding his head as he confirmed how bipolar his aunt seemed to be.

"Tomorrow," Lee said. "She'll be pissed. I don't think she realized the magnitude of our relationship."

"If she walks in on us having sex," I responded. "then, yes, I would imagine she would be pissed considering that she wants her handsome nephew as a son-in-law."

I gave Lee a shy grin when I realized what I just said. As usual, he gave me one of his sexiest smirks before pulling me in for a kiss, his hands gently caressing my breasts. It was a good thing that we were alone for the evening; otherwise the older woman, as he put it, would be scandalized. His aunt had claimed that she was fatigued from her trip from Florida and that she needed her beauty sleep. Lee told me that she was trying to spy on us, so we disappeared into a looming garden that his sister had planted. Deep in the heart of the garden, there was a guest house there. Lee picked me up like a bride and just carried me there. Tonight would be a long and passionate night for the both of us.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Get ready for a showdown, ladies and gents. Get Teddy Atlas to judge the upcoming fight, for this will be a fight of epic proportions... :P LOL! I'm being dramatic, but I hope you guys do enjoy this upcoming chapter! As always feedback is welcomed.

No Copyright infringement intended.

Lee's POV

I sure that my aunt was about to have a conniption when she confronted Jenna. I know that I almost had one when she confronted Jenna and accused her of brainwashing me in order to keep me from marrying my cousin Anne. I wasn't surprised, though, that she had spied on us. That was the type of woman that my aunt was. She wanted me as a son-in-law, which is rather creepy. If mother was still alive, she would have put her sister-in-law in her place, but that honor has been left with my Jenna and, I must say, she was doing a bang up job. I was sitting in the terrace with my sister and cousin, keeping them company while we all listened to my _loving_ girlfriend tearing into my aunt.

"We shouldn't be here." Serena whispered to me.

"They don't know that we're here," I replied. "Well, Jenna might."

Anne said nothing but I could see the look of satisfaction on her face as Jenna delivered a few verbal insults in the garden. This was a side of my cousin that I have never seen before. It was a good sign. She needed to be away from her mother and be with people that actually gave a damn about her well-being. She loved Serena just as much as Jenna did. My cousin was a minor and I figured that I could apply for custody of her. Maybe file a grievance against my aunt and have my cousin pulled from her care.

_That's an idea. Guess I'll talk to Ryan about that._

"YOU HUSSY!" My aunt screamed.

All three of us jumped from our chairs. Serena quickly put a compress to Anne's head and gave her some water to ease her nerves. She was scared rather easily and that didn't do her health much good. I told my sister to take her inside and I would stay behind and monitor the two ladies. I sensed an impending fight and I knew that my aunt could be dirty when she wanted to be.

"Get off, you bitch!"

Oh, crap.

* * *

Jenna's POV

This old bag was really strong. She had my arms twisted around my back and that was rather painful. It didn't mean that I couldn't fight back either. I wasn't going to let her take my man from me. I should really tell her that I'm madly in love with her nephew because...well, it's the truth. I am madly in love with Lee and, like I said, I'm not about to give him up without a fight. Where in the hell was Lee, anyway? I had a good feeling he was nearby. If he was, he needed to hurry up and take control of his aunt because I wasn't holding up as well as I thought I was. For a frail looking woman, she was one tough old bird. In the meantime, I decided to trip her by putting my foot behind hers and kicked her ankle, causing her to fall and lose her grip on me. I headbutted her at the same time that Lee finally decided to make his appearance. The look on his face was priceless.

"You do know that could get you an assault charge, right?" He asked me.

"She attacked me first, Lee!"

"I know." He said, recovering himself. "I heard it all."

That was what I thought. I knew he had been nearby and, apparently, keeping an eye on the both of us. Lee picked his aunt up and hauled her to the guestroom she was staying in. Serena, who had been tending to Annie, was in shock. Thankfully, her cousin was engaged with some other activity in what I would assume to be the library so she wasn't there to witness her unconscious aunt. I sighed when Lee came back. He had a dark look on his face, which clearly meant that he was not at all happy.

_What a nightmare._ I thought.

The entire conversation started when she asked me to take a turn with her in Serena's garden. We had remained silent for about five minutes before she had asked me why she had invited me to walk with her. I feigned ignorance (even though I knew that this entire conversation was about her nephew, Lee) and said that I had no idea. She went on to say that she wasn't the type of woman to be messed with, which was true when it comes to fights, and that she wasn't in the habit of handling those who constantly defied her wishes. She blamed me for messing with her nephew's mind and seducing him, blinding him to his duty to her and to his cousin, Annie. That was a serious charge that I denied right off the bat. Even if I did, I told her, it was none of her damn business to get involved with her adult nephew. He was a man, I said, and man had desires that he wanted to fulfill on his own terms and that was what Lee was trying to achieve. She told me to not preach about what Lee did or did not desire. She knew what he wanted or did not want...or so she claimed. After that, we exchanged some really nasty words and that was how the entire fight got started.

"Don't tell Annie what happened." I said to Serena.

Serena went back to Annie and I went to track down Lee, who had wandered off to his office-which was on the other side of his mansion. I needed to soothe his beast and I know just how I to do that.


	20. Chapter 20

Jenna's POV

There's nothing more like a massage, a bit of sex, and some wine afterwards to soothe an angry beast. I grinned at Lee, who was much more relaxed now, and stroked his hair. He grinned back, gave me a kiss and sighed. When I first gave him a massage, he was extremely tense but what happened afterwards loosened him up even more. We were both tired of his widowed aunt and wanted to get rid of her, but there was Annie to consider. Lee told me to not give it another thought and that he and Ryan would take care of it once of for all. I was glad because I hated to see the poor girl suffer while she stayed with her mother.

"You wounded her pride." Lee said with his smirk.

"She deserves it." I replied.

"I dare say she did."

We sat together in his bed, sipping at our wine. He had a strong arm around me, which made me feel so safe. I was feeling the effects of the wine and my earlier tussle with the ice burg and I was about to fall asleep against him when Lee took me by surprise with the one topic that has haunted us for quite sometime. He kissed me on my temple and started:

"We've talked about marriage before, Jenna." Lee said.

"Yes. What about it?"

"Well..."

Before he could go any further, my cell phone rang. I saw that it was my sister, Sarah. I was surprised. She usually never called me unless there was an emergency or if she simply wanted to talk if I wasn't home. I picked up and she started to chatter excitedly. Something clearly good had happened. I looked at Lee, who simply had a knowing look on his face. I cocked my head at him, curious, before I tried to get my sister to calm down and clearly reiterate what she told me.

"Okay." I said. "Can you repeat what you just said."

_"Sorry."_ She said. _"Ryan just proposed to me."_

"Really? I'm so happy for you!" I squealed.

I turned back to look at Lee, who still had that knowing look on his face. It dawned on me and I blushed. I knew what he wanted to talk about. He smiled at me as I continued to speak with my sister about the wedding details. She confessed that she had yet to tell our parents about the proposal, but that she and Ryan were talking about what would happen down the road. I promised that I would talk to her later and we would get into details when I got home. We said our goodbyes.

"I'm so excited for her!"

"Hm."

I looked at Lee, whose gray eyes were really boring into mine. He grabbed onto my hands and kissed them both, placing one onto his face. We were like that for a while when Lee started his conversation with me about marriage again.

"My aunt won't be happy about it," He said. "But...?"

"But...?" I probed.

"Where do you see us in the future?"

* * *

Lee's POV

This was a very serious question. I wanted to share my future with Jenna but whether or not she wanted to share hers with me is up to her. She was thinking very hard about this. It was a lot to take in and I didn't blame her one bit. I have to admit, though, I was nervous and scared. If she didn't want to share it with me, I would be absolutely crushed. I was absolutely in love with her and not to have her with me for always would probably end me. I prayed fervently that she would say what I really wanted to her. Her violet eyes were not on me but they were completely lost, as if she wasn't sure what to think. So when she did look back at me, I was quite taken with that bright smile on her face.

"I'd say that we'll be together down the road still, but..."

"But...?"

"In a more permanent fashion with a few...additions."

Additions? As in kids? Is she saying what I really think she was saying? My head was spinning but I was excited. I could hear her soft chuckle and feel her soft lips against mine. Holy, hell. She wanted to be mine. Neither my aunt nor Linda would be pleased to hear about this...especially, Linda. That woman never had a kind word for Jenna. Sarah Williams had approached me one evening when she was with Ryan and told me straight out that her now-future-sister-in-law was jealous of her own sister, Jenna because she had my attention and Linda did not.

_God, how dense was I?_

I had recently paid a visit to Ryan regarding my little cousin and Linda was there. She hovered over me as I visited with my friend, which annoyed me to no end but what really annoyed me was that Linda continued to bash Jenna. I finally told Ryan's sister that the silver-haired young woman was the most beautiful woman out of my acquaintances and that I would have no hesitation in asking her out to dinner again. This silenced her and she was even more surprised that I had asked Jenna out in the first place. Sure, I had my doubts in the first place because she didn't meet my high standards that I wanted in a woman, which I know realize were unrealistic and, of course, her place in society wasn't high enough to attract my attention. I'm glad she changed me.

"So if I were to ask you that one question, Jenna," I said. "Would you say yes?"

She looked at me as if that was the dumbest question in the world. My heart sank and I grew nervous.

"That is the dumbest question in the world," She said. "Of course I would say yes."

Guess I'll have a word with her father about his blessings.

A/N: Well, well, well. That topic of marriage has come up again, but it looks like it has become more serious and Lee is going to talk to Jenna's father about his proposal. What will the man say? Hope you guys enjoyed this. Feedback more than welcomed!


	21. Chapter 21

Jenna's POV

"Are you out of your mind?!" My father asked incredulously.

Father had called me into his office today as I was talking to my older sister about her upcoming nuptials. I already knew what he wanted to talk about. Lee had come to the house earlier this morning when I was out and about with Sarah. He had actually spoken to my father and asked for his permission to marry me. My sisters found this rather romantic. I thought it was, too. Once I got to know the real Lee Bryant, I found that he was a very romantic man and I should know, given my previous meetings with him. I had pointed out once that he was going to be Austin's brother-in-law if he married me. His face, admittedly, darkened but he refused to back out. Once he had an idea in his head, he stuck with it and being with me was no different.

"Just because that bastard's going to be my brother-in-law, doesn't mean I'm going to abandon you." He said.

I smiled at this. He was truly a man of his word and I loved him for it. Father continued his rant about how he was the most hated man in New York and that he had a reputation of being a bully. He did give him his consent, of course, since he would be out of his mind not to. He was just worried that his little girl would be hated for marrying such a man. I didn't care though. I loved Lee.

"If you truly got to know him, father," I said. "You'll see that he is a gentleman through and through. He's very kind and remember, he did us a favor."

"I suppose you're right." He sighed with resign. "He deserves you."

He got up from his chair and gave me an affectionate kiss on the head. I knew that he was struggling that he was about to let another daughter go because of marriage, but I knew that I had his support. Mother was simply giddy when I convinced her that she could help with my wedding, not to mention that she was getting a very wealthy son-in-law. I let her go on and on about it and how the grand wedding was her idea. Sarah and I giggled since mother was the same way with her as well. She insisted on having a double wedding and, quite frankly, I was charmed by the idea. Ryan was just as enthusiastic when he heard about the plans.

"Think of it, Lee," He said to him. "We'll be brothers!"

We had a huge family gathering and it was definitely festive. We got to spend time together. Lee brought his sister along and Annie as well. Ryan and Lee managed to get full custody of her through the courts. That was a celebration in itself. With Serena's help, Annie was looking much better and much healthier. In fact, she had a beau, too. Lee wasn't too thrilled with that but after I met with the beau, who was rather charming, I convinced my fiance that he would do well with Annie.

"He better."

_My fiance. My that sounds so good._

My fiance. Every time that came off of my lips, I would simply sigh and enjoy the sound of it. I knew Lee liked the sound of it, too. He would often plant an affectionate kiss on my head or my cheek. I loved him and he loved me and that was that. Nothing else (aside from my family, of course) in the world mattered.

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Lee's POV

I was pleased with the entire gathering. Everyone was genuinely happy and actually gave a damn about me-once Jenna managed to convince them of my character-there's going to be a double wedding and Jessie and Austin were not even at the gathering. Yes, I was very pleased with how things turned out. More importantly, though, Jenna was mine and I was hers. She wore my mother's engagement ring and she wore it beautifully. Serena was pleased that she was going to have a sister and a cousin to join our family.

_Life's good._

The media got wind of it, of course, so I had to deal with that. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that bad. Everybody was just curious as to who the woman in question was and how she tamed me. I didn't answer them, though. I simply smiled, stunning the crowd and walked away from them. I didn't care about any of that stuff, though I liked keeping my lawyers nearby should something slanderous got into the papers. These idiots knew me very well and didn't dare to do such a thing, though there were a few brave souls that had been willing to slander the Bryant name to get a promotion-they got a lawsuit instead. Oh, well. It came with being a famous CEO with a reputation for being brutal at times. It was necessary, my father had once told me, in order to survive the business world.

The entire family decided to walk the gardens in the back. It was beautiful, much like Serena's. Jenna had grown an entire rose garden for herself and cared for it with Sarah's help. Jenna and I hung back in the rose garden while everyone else went on ahead. I wanted more time with my fiancee alone. We had come a long way. We had hated each other, went to loving each other, went back to hating each other and, eventually, came to love each other again, but more deeply and passionately. I wished that both of my parents were still alive. I knew that they would have adored this silver-haired beauty.

"Three months will come and go." I said in reference to the wedding.

"Yes." Jenna agreed.

I put an arm around her so she could get closer to me. This felt right. We were meant for each other. My mother always told me that I would know when I would meet that special woman. Jenna was it.

_Mother knows best._

_A/N:_ Hello again, folks! Hope you liked this story so far. The next chapter, twenty-two, will be the very last one. An amazing story, I'll say, that this has been and I'm sorry to see it end. Reviews are welcomed!


	22. Chapter 22

Jenna's POV

I couldn't believe it. Here I was in front of the church with the one I loved standing next me. I glanced at him and he looked so handsome in his tuxedo. I saw him glance back at me and there was a sparkle in his eye. I knew that that he was just as happy as I was. I glanced to my right and my sister and Ryan were standing at attention as the priest performed our ceremony. Ryan looked handsome, too, and my sister looked gorgeous in her wedding dress. Mother had insisted that the both of us wore something grand and beautiful. Sarah, thankfully, won out over our mother with a compromise. Her dress was simple but it had crystals at her waist and had a tiara to hold her veil. Just to keep mother happy, I went all out with a form-fitting, strapless, gossamer gown that was kind of low in the back and, also, had crystals at the waist. I had a diamond tiara that was secretly financed by my future husband. I had to twist some arms to get that information, of course, but it was my man who bought it for me.

_I love this man._

In the crowd, my entire family (sans Jessie and Austin) was there, along with Lee's sister and cousin. To my absolute surprise, I found out that Ryan's sister, Linda, was there. I could only imagine the crabby look on her face now that the man of her dreams was marrying another woman. It was kind of hard not to giggle with glee. That woman had been a pain in my butt since day one. My breath caught when we turned to each other and recited our vows. It was hard not to cry. Lee had the tenderest smile on his face (a far cry from the man that he had been in the beginning) as he slipped my wedding band onto my finger. I've said this more than once but it's worth repeating: this felt so incredibly right. Lee was truly a man that was worth loving. I might not have seen that in the beginning but after getting to know him through the ups and downs of life, I _saw_ him. I saw the real man beneath that cold exterior.

"Are there any objections in this congregation?" The priest asked.

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Lee's POV

The only person I could think who would object would be my aunt, who was not invited I might add. She would make noise over this. As for Linda, she's definitely learned her lesson and backed off, though I would have loved to see my Jenna take her on in a fight. That would have been really hot to watch. If she can take on my aunt in a fight, then she can take on anybody. Speaking of the bride, I have never seen a woman more tempting and beautiful in my life. Her dress fit her in all the right places, revealing her beautiful body and, more importantly, she was happy...happy to be with me. Her violet eyes were shining with tears of joy. I was close to tears myself and I think one might have escaped down my face when the vows were recited and rings exchanged. I know my friend was more sentimental than I was, but who the hell cared?

_Hell, it's your wedding day. You deserve it._

I noticed that Ryan was as giddy as a schoolboy even though he didn't visibly show it. His eyes were shining with a bright happiness I hadn't seen there before in all of the years that I knew him. He and his soon-to-be wife looked really good together and they were really well-suited. To be frank, I was thinking about breaking them up in the beginning of their relationship. I didn't think she was good enough for my friend, but she proved me wrong. She hadn't shown any interest in Ryan at first, which made me really doubtful about her intentions (I thought she was a gold-digger), but somewhere down the road, everything changed...for me and Ryan. We both had beautiful young, loving, women on our arms and I don't think either of us had been so happy in years.

"If there are no objections, by the name of god and the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Those were words I had been waiting for all day. I leaned in and gave my Jenna that kiss that would seal the deal. She was mine and I was hers.

A/N: I hope you guys really enjoyed this! I'm really sorry to see this story end. This was my favorite story to write! Might do a little re-editing here and there but nothing major. Reviews and feedback are always welcomed! See you folks!


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